Explore Vancouver Island

If you get off the main road and search the secondary roads of Vancouver Island you will find many gems. This weekend we did just that. From Ladysmith we went with our friends Darryl and Edith to a small pub just a short drive north of Chemainus. There is a small community along the road there called Saltaire and it has a pub, the Saltaire Pub! Amazing name eh! It was the middle of the afternoon and the pub was surprizingly busy. They were getting the pub ready for a Thanksgiving Buffet in a few hours.

I had an order to crab cakes. I got four crab cakes that were huge and they were very tasty. I ordered some fries to go with them, but really didn't need them. My wife had a crab and artichoke dip on pita bread and she thought it was pretty good also. Darryl had chicken wings and Edith had chicken strips. There was a large variety of good beer available also. We all thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon snack.

Pubs like this are not all that easy to find, but they are worth exploring for.

Spook Season Hits Victoria

Victoria has a long history of mystery, intreague and hauntings. Bastion Square's Maritime Museum used to be the court house and Judge Begbie, the hanging judge as he was called, worked here. Bastion Square is supposed to be haunted. Camille's restaurant in Bastion Square has a special table set for haunted residents. On Belleville Street, the Judge's House which is now part of Gatsby Mansion was called the "Haunted House" and was a tourist attraction. The attraction is now closed, but the house is really haunted. Other attractions in Victoria are also haunted. Those include Point Ellice House and Craigdarroch Castle. St. Ann's Academy is also haunted and on Halloween they often put on a program about paranormal activities. The Empress Hotel has great ghost history and you can take tours of the Empress. There are also stories about a ghostly lady who appears on one of the holes at the Victoria Golf Course and there is much more. A local historian, John Adams conducts Ghostly Walks every night at 7:30 p.m.from now until Oct. 23. Johns Ghostly Walks take place every night at 7:30, plus Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and 9:30 pm. These start at the Tourism Victoria Visitor Info Centre at the north-east corner of the Inner Harbour. The schedule increases from Oct. 24-Nov. 1 when John offer tours everynight at 6:30, 7:30, 8:30 and 9:30 pm, starting from the lobby of the Bedford Regency Hotel. From Nov. 8 through the end of Feb. the tours continue on Saturday nights at 7:30 pm from the Visitor Info Centre. Check out John's Web Site

The Final Approach

When you travel around Vancouver Island you will likely want to know where you can get a good meal. Generally, I just ask the locals. Most often they will lead you to the best places. It sure has worked for me. Now I have a sweet tooth so it has been my mission to find the best places for ice cream cones, my major weekness. I also like great pie. Lemon Merange, Banana Cream, and Pumpkin Pie are among my favourites. I really like Pecan pie, Strawberry Rubarb, Apple, and a host of others.For years, a lady in Sooke made pies for Mom’s cafe. The pie there was fantastic. I have not been there for a while so I hope that is still the case. Just recently I found a restaurant at the airport in Qualicum Beach. I had heard the food was pretty good there and it surely is. After a couple of visits, one person right behind me asked what was for desert. The waiter rattled off a list of pie that would knock your socks off. When he brought it out, he did a masterful job of marketing. He walked around the restaurant making sure everyone had a good look at the pie. That was good enough for me. I tried my favourite, banana cream. The crust is unbelieveable and very flakey. Not sure how many times I have been back there. Just recently I had a buffalo burger there and it was outstanding.I have introduced this place to many of my friends and aquaintences. Now I am introducing it to the world. The Final Approach is a great spot to eat. Everytime I am in there it is full of locals. Often times you will need a reservation. It is located at 3-1000 Ravensbourne Lane in Qualicum Beach, BC. Phone (250) 752-8966.You can sit inside our out on their patio. The planes come and go on the tarmac right outside the restaurant. You can get much closer without sitting in the plane. When in Qualicum, I recommend you give this place a try. For more photos click here